


It's Not Anxiety, It's a Parasite

by squadrickchestopher



Category: Queer Eye for the Straight Guy RPF, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Crack Crossover, Domestic Fluff, Established Eddie Brock/Venom Symbiote, Fab Five, Fluff and Crack, Humor, Makeover, Other, Self Confidence Issues, Venom Symbiote Takes Care of Eddie Brock, queer eye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:00:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24219286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squadrickchestopher/pseuds/squadrickchestopher
Summary: “It’s ridiculous. I don’t need a life makeover.”Anne fixes him with a glare. “Eddie, you need a life makeover more than anyone I’ve ever met. You are terrible at taking care of yourself, and it’s gotten even worse since we broke up. You’re reclusive. You go out at odd hours. You dress like a moody teenager. And I’m pretty sure you haven’t slept in two days.”Eddie starts to protest, but everything she just said is true. He is reclusive, when he’s not interviewing. He prefers to go out late at night. His wardrobe is pretty much sweatshirts and baggy pants. He did sleep recently, but it wasn’t a good sleep, and it pretty clearly shows on his face. So yeah. She’s not wrong.Also, he has a parasite.
Relationships: Eddie Brock/Venom Symbiote
Comments: 32
Kudos: 566





	It's Not Anxiety, It's a Parasite

“This is stupid,” Eddie says, staring at the door.

“It’s good for you,” Anne says.

“It’s ridiculous. I don’t need a life makeover.”

Anne fixes him with a glare. “Eddie, you need a life makeover more than anyone I’ve ever met. You are terrible at taking care of yourself, and it’s gotten even worse since we broke up. You’re reclusive. You go out at odd hours. You dress like a moody teenager. And I’m pretty sure you haven’t slept in two days.”

Eddie starts to protest, but everything she just said is true. He is reclusive, when he’s not interviewing. He prefers to go out late at night. His wardrobe is pretty much sweatshirts and baggy pants. He _did_ sleep recently, but it wasn’t a good sleep, and it pretty clearly shows on his face. So yeah. She’s not wrong.

Also, he has a parasite.

 **Not a parasite,** Venom says.

_Shut up._

Anne crosses her arms. “You said you’d be open to this.”

“I am open to this.”

“Well, try and look like it.” A car pulls up outside, and Anne gets up. “They’re here!”

“Keep your mouth shut,” Eddie hisses to Venom. “And do _not_ come out while they’re here.”

**Fine.**

Eddie takes a deep breath. The bell rings. Anne opens the door with a sweep of her arm. “Come on in!” she calls, voice clear and happy.

There’s a chorus of five voices yelling hi at the same time, and then suddenly a bunch of men—two of them wearing pink shirts— are standing in his living room. “Hey guys,” he says, forcing a smile and offering his hand. “I’m Eddie Brock.”

He does not get a handshake. He gets an enthusiastic hug, followed by four others that just about smother him. Eddie barely has time to breathe as he’s passed along from guy to guy. “Okay,” he says, finally extracting himself. “Okay, we’re huggers. Good to know.”

The hair guy—Jonathan, Eddie thinks—goes right for his face. “Absolutely gorgeous,” they declare, putting their hands on Eddie’s cheeks. “Look at this bone structure. Look at these _lips_. You. Are. Perfect.”

“Uh…thanks,” Eddie says, pulling back slightly. He’s not really a touchy guy, and being with Venom has made him even less touchy than normal. Jonathan seems completely unbothered by this, and launches into a whole thing about his skin and his hair that Eddie only listens to with half an ear. He’s occupied with watching the other guys flit all over his apartment and make comments with a brutal honesty.

The clothes one comes out of Eddie’s room with his arms full of fabric. “Eddie,” he says, his tone somewhere between friendly and incredulous. “How many pairs of cargo pants do you _own_?”

“ _Cargo_ pants?” one of the others shrieks, and they all descend on Clothes Guy like a flock of particularly gay flamingos.

 **His name is Tan,** Venom says suddenly.

_What?_

**It’s not Clothes Guy. It’s Tan.**

Eddie can’t ask him anything directly, not with people and the cameras here, but he’s pretty sure Venom can feel the wave of _what the fuck_ emanating from him.

**Anne introduced us. You need to pay more attention.**

The Gay Flamingos break apart, two of them now wearing Eddie’s pants. “Uh,” he says, rubbing a hand over his head. “I don’t know.”

“He only wears a few pairs,” Anne breaks in, and Eddie glares at her.

“We’ll get rid of them,” Tan assures her.

House Guy—

**Bobby.**

_Bobby_ is picking at his couch with a concerned expression. “Eddie, are you aware that this couch is practically falling apart?”

“It’s comfortable,” Eddie mumbles, distracted by Jonathan’s hands in his hair. “And it was cheap. I got at some thrift store.”

This, apparently, is not the right thing to say, as they all look relatively appalled, and Anne smirks at him over their heads. “I told him so,” she says.

Bobby abandons the couch and walks over to the walls. “Did you take a sledgehammer to these?” he asks, poking one of the larger holes.

“Uh.” Eddie shuffles nervously. “Not exactly.”

Technically, those are from the night Drake’s goons tried to come and kidnap Eddie, but he’s not really sure how to explain that. Bobby goes to the window next, and pulls down the cardboard he’s been using to keep it covered. “Eddie! This isn’t even _safe_!”

“I was gonna fix that,” Eddie says, a little embarrassed. That one _is_ on him. He’s not really worried about home invaders or anything—Venom would eat anyone who tried—but it has been playing havoc with his heating bills. “I know. It looks bad.”

“Not to be discouraging,” Bobby says as he looks around at the general carnage Eddie calls home. “But your apartment kind of looks like a murder scene.”

Eddie has to bite his cheek to keep from laughing, because honestly, he’s not that far off. “It does?”

“It does,” Bobby says. “The only thing missing is a body on the floor.”

“I got it,” Culture Guy says, and he lays down on the floor in a dramatic pose that sets the rest of them to laughing.

**His name is Karamo. Were you listening at all?**

“Shut _up_ ,” Eddie hisses.

In the kitchen, Food Guy— **Antoni, it’s not _that_ difficult to remember**— is pulling out everything in his fridge and freezer. “Please tell me,” he says as Eddie drifts over, “that you eat things other than tater tots and chocolate.”

“Of course I do,” Eddie says, staring at the mountain of evidence that says otherwise.

Venom twists under his shirt, suddenly gleeful. **Tell him, Eddie. Tell him what else we eat. Tell him.**

Eddie clenches his fists and deliberately ignores Venom. “I also have beer,” he says, and Antoni laughs.

“That’s not a food,” he says.

“I eat a lot of takeout?” _As in we take out criminal’s brains, and then we eat them._

Antoni sighs and shakes his head.

“Come with me,” someone says, and Eddie turns to see Jonathan taking his hand. “Come, come. Show me your bathroom.”

Eddie obliges, casting Anne one last uncomfortable look. She doesn’t even notice, engrossed as she is in discussing the state of his apartment with Bobby.

“Okay,” Jonathan says. “Take me through your morning routine. What does Eddie Brock do to make himself look fabulous?”

“Uh.” Eddie looks around. _Venom, help._

 **You shower. And get dressed.** Venom sounds just as confused as he is. **Is there more to do?**

“I shower,” Eddie says. “And I put on clothes.”

Jonathan’s eyes widen. “How much time do you spend on a grooming moment?”

Eddie shrugs. “About five minutes? I mean, I shave and comb my hair or whatever. I don’t really think about that kind of stuff. I wouldn’t know what to do, anyway.”

“Oh _honey_ ,” Jonathan says, and they throw their arm around Eddie. “I am going to teach you everything. You are going to be, like, the skin care guru when I’m done. You are going to look so _amazing_.”

“Jonathan!” Karamo pokes his head around the corner. “Come on, we’re gathering. Stop hogging Eddie.”

“Can’t help it,” Jonathan says lightly. “He’s got such a gorgeous face, I just wanna keep it all to myself.”

Eddie finds himself on the couch a minute later, sandwiched between Karamo and Antoni. The others are sitting on the floor, or leaning against the window. Anne is nowhere to be seen, and Eddie isn’t sure if he’s grateful or annoyed that she just left him to the Gay Flamingos like this.

He takes a deep breath. _Be open. You promised her._

“So,” Karamo says. “You’ve got a big party at the end of the week.”

“It’s not big,” Eddie says. “It’s just—it’s just a work thing.” He taps his fingers on his leg. “I got an award. It’s not a big deal.”

This apparently is also the wrong thing to say, as they all start making noises about how he should be proud, and how it _is_ a big deal. He gives a brief explanation about it, and they fall all over each other promising to help get him ready to “bloom like a gorgeous little sunflower.” Then they all gather their things, and a producer gives him a schedule for tomorrow. There’s a chorus of goodbyes, and more hugs, and then Eddie is suddenly left standing alone in his apartment like nothing ever really happened at all.

“Uh,” he says, blinking a little.

Venom curves around his shoulder and tilts his head. **I like them.**

“I like them too. They’re just…intense.” He rubs a hand through his hair, still feeling a little dazed. “Really intense.”

**They will be good for you.**

Eddie scowls. “I don’t know, V. I like just you and me.”

 **I like that too.** Venom moves a little closer. **I like it a lot. But Anne is right.**

“On what count?”

 **All of them.** Venom licks his cheek. **You are a mess of a person, Eddie.**

“You realize half of this is your fault, right? I wouldn’t have to be out at night hunting for brains if you weren’t here. And I can’t sleep because _you_ keep waking me up.” He pokes Venom’s head.

Venom somehow manages to look dismissive. **You were a mess before I got here. I saw your memories. You were in a tailspin after Anne left, and after losing your job.**

“So what?”

 **So you are still in a tailspin. You need to learn to take care of yourself. I cannot do it for you all the time.** Eddie starts to protest, but Venom covers his mouth. **No arguing. Let them help. Maybe you will learn something.**

Eddie scowls and pulls Venom off his face. “Fine,” he says.

**Good. Go make tater tots.**

“I think they threw them away,” Eddie says, looking at the garbage can.

**WHAT?**

He grins. “Still want them to help?”

**…yes.**

***

The next day, Eddie wakes up early enough to meet Tan at a clothing store he’s never been to before. He walks in nervously, looking around at the button down shirts and fancy pants. He’s never really been one to wear all this kind of stuff. He likes his biker jackets, and his sweatshirts, and his t-shirts. Comfortable things.

Tan greets him at the door. “Good morning!”

“Morning,” Eddie echoes.

“You look uncomfortable,” Tan says, reading him like a book.

“I usually shop at Wal-Mart,” Eddie admits. “Or Kohls, when Anne drags me out. This isn’t my kind of scene.”

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Tan says. “And I’m not trying to. But you’re a grown man, and you dress like a moody teenager.”

Eddie snorts. “Anne tell you to say that?”

Tan laughs. “No. Does _she_ say that?”

“Yep.”

“She has a point.” Tan gestures around. “I’m not going to turn you into a fashion icon, Eddie. But you have a professional job, and you need to wear more professional things than cargo pants and baggy jeans.”

“Okay,” Eddie says.

“We’re going to get you some properly fitting jeans. Every man’s closet should have a pair of dark blue jeans, a black jean, and a mid-wash.” Tan picks up a couple pairs of pants and hands them to Eddie. “As for shirts—personally, I like the dark colors on you. I think that’s what makes you comfortable, and I think you look good in them.”

“Thank _god_ ,” Eddie says. “I was a little worried about pink.”

Tan laughs again. “Pink is great,” he says, tossing a couple of shirts Eddie’s direction. “But for you, I think navy blue and black are going to be your style. We can dress them up with some jackets, and maybe have a couple grey shirts for some lighter colors…”

He loads Eddie up with clothes and directs him to a changing room. Eddie puts on the first outfit, feeling self-conscious. “Okay,” he says. “I’m ready.”

He steps out, and Tan immediately starts gushing over it, turning Eddie to face the mirror. “This is perfect,” he says. “Absolutely perfect. It’s slimming, and it’s fitted to your body so you don’t look like you’re trying to hide so much.”

There’s more, but Eddie’s not listening. He’s staring in the mirror, looking at a man he vaguely remembers. If not for the scruffy look, he could be the Eddie Brock of the Brock Report days.

“Huh,” he says.

Tan studies him. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” he says. “I just…haven’t seen this guy in awhile.”

“You look good,” Tan tells him. “Confident. At ease. It’s a good look on you.”

“Thank you.”

“These clothes are easy. This is a simple look, it’s classic, and it’s not going out out of style any time soon.”

Eddie goes back into the stall, and tries on a darker pair of jeans with the grey shirt. Tan is even more thrilled when he comes out with this one, and tells him to wait there. He scurries off to the other side of the store.

 **Buy this,** Venom says. **Buy it now.**

“You like it, huh?” Eddie murmurs to him.

**I want it. I want to take it off you.**

Eddie feels a flash of heat, and a desire that is definitely not his, and he swats at Venom’s probing tentacle. “ _Stop_ it. Not now. Tonight.”

**Now.**

“Venom!”

 **Fine.** Venom retracts back into him. **Tonight.**

Tan comes back. “Tell me what you think about this,” he says, holding up a denim jacket. Eddie slides it on, and looks in the mirror.

**Buy this too.**

Eddie nods. _Definitely._ “I like it,” he says. “This…this is really good.”

Tan lectures him on different pairings, and styles. Eddie listens and nods and keeps looking in the mirror. For the first time in a long time, he feels a trickle of confidence in him. A little bit like his old self, mixed in with something else. Something new.

 **You look good,** Venom says, and Eddie smiles.

***

“So,” Bobby says as they walk into IKEA. “Just from looking around your apartment, I kind of get the sense that you haven’t really found your own style in terms of decoration.”

“Not really,” Eddie admits. “I was with Anne, before, and she did the decorating. And then when we broke up, she kept most of the furniture, and I just never really…” He trails off and rubs a hand through his hair. “I’m not really a decorative kind of guy, anyway. I just want things to be functional.”

“And functional is great,” Bobby says. “But your apartment is not functional. Your apartment is a mess.”

“You…have a point.”

Bobby starts pointing out furniture. Eddie nods along and tries to give opinions as best he can. Venom is decidedly unhelpful, twisting under his shirt and projecting images that are not appropriate for a furniture store, usually accompanied by a, **I would like to fuck you on that. Or that. And that. That could be fun.**

“Stop it,” Eddie hisses, sure his face is as red as fire.

**Why? This is fun. I like House Guy.**

They fill up a cart with furniture. Bobby talks style, and artwork, and Eddie nods along and tries not to think about what Venom is thinking about.

**Can we have a pile of heads in the corner?**

_Absolutely not._

**It would make a good decoration.**

_No, it would not._

Venom growls and bites his arm. **Pile of bodies?**

_NO._

**You are boring,** Venom pouts, and Eddie tries to redirect his attention to the plants Bobby is showing him.

They check out. Eddie wheels the flatbed cart outside. Karamo is waiting on the sidewalk outside the store, and there’s the usual amount of hugging and enthusiastic greetings. Eddie does his best to participate.

“I’m going to steal Eddie from you,” Karamo says, and Bobby just waves a hand.

“Go on,” he says. “I’ve got work to do.”

“Come with me,” Karamo says to Eddie.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

***

“When was the last time you went on a date?”

 **Last night.** Venom brings up the memory of his hand against cold bricks, the chill in the air, the thrill of stalking some criminal in the night. Eddie squirms a little bit at the thought.

_You don’t count. That’s not a date._

Venom sounds offended. **Excuse me?**

 _He means a date with a girl, not a date with eating heads._ Eddie shrugs. “I don’t know. Probably not since…Anne.”

It’s probably true. He honestly hasn’t really thought about dating. She’d broken his heart too badly, and then he’d been a complete mess for awhile, and then he acquired a very possessive parasite, and it just hadn’t seemed very important.

It’s still not. Eddie is still trying to figure out Venom most days. He doesn’t really think it’s the best idea to bring a third person into the mix. Especially not with a brain-eating alien to potentially make things _really_ awkward.

He shrugs again. “I’m not really interested in dating right now. It was a, uh, rough break-up. I kind of want to take some time for myself, you know? Be a career guy for a bit. Figure out who I am and all that stuff.”

“I get it,” Karamo says. “I get it, and I totally support that. I think that’s a great move for you.”

Eddie taps his fingers on his thighs. “Yeah.”

“But I also get the feeling,” he continues, “that you have a bit of a confidence problem. I can see it in the way your dress, and how you move. Look right now, even. Look what your hand is doing.”

Eddie immediately flushes and stills his hand. “That’s not really a confidence thing,” he says. “I’m just a twitchy guy.”

“So Anne broke your heart, right?”

 _Carved it into a million pieces with a rusty chainsaw, yep._ “A bit.”

“And since then, you’ve had a hard time connecting. You were vulnerable with Anne, you let her in, and things didn’t work out. Now you're having a hard time letting people in again, even just for friendships.”

“I was gonna ask her to marry me,” Eddie murmurs, and feels the usual flash of sadness at that. His vision blurs a bit and he blinks the tears back, surprised at their appearance. _I thought I was over that, shit._

Venom twists around his chest under his shirt. **I’m here, Eddie. I’ll never leave you.**

A tentacle winds into his hand, invisible, and Eddie squeezes it. _Thank you, love._

“A lot of men have an issue with vulnerability,” Karamo says. “And for you to have tried and been pushed away like that, it can make that even worse. But you can’t close yourself off from the world. As soon as you do that, you cut yourself off from other emotions—joy, happiness, excitement. You can’t numb part of yourself and expect to feel the rest. You need to find your confidence again.”

They pull into a parking lot, and Eddie looks around. “Where are we?”

“We,” Karamo announces, “are going to try boxing.”

“Boxing?”

“Yes.”

They go inside, where they’re greeted by a trainer, who quickly shows them around the gym and gets them set up.

“You work where you live,” Karamo tells Eddie as he wraps Eddie’s knuckles. “Other than your trips to the office, you pretty much stay in your apartment. It’s turned you into a hermit. We need to wake up your body, get you into some physical activity.”

Eddie thinks about what he did last night, and how they’d chased a mugger through four city blocks before cornering him and biting his head off. It had been entertaining, if not slightly gruesome. But of course, he can’t say that, so he just nods and lets Karamo finish wrapping his hands.

“Have you done this before?” Eddie asks. “Boxing.”

“I have,” Karamo says simply. “I used to be really sad. I had a lot of anxiety. Boxing was a good way for me to get all of that out and help me work through those issues.” He wraps up his own hands. “Ready?”

“Ready,” Eddie says.

The trainer takes them through a few basic moves, then loads them up with gloves and sets them to punching bags. Eddie’s fist smacks the bag hard on the first try, producing a satisfying _smack_ of a sound.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Karamo asks.

It does, actually. Eddie punches the bag again, thrilling at the dull ache he can start to feel growing in his muscles. He punches the bag until sweat is dripping down his face. He’s missed this. He used to work out a lot before Venom. He can’t remember when or why he stopped.

“I need to do this more,” he mutters to Venom when the session is over, and he’s getting dressed. “We need to join a gym or something.”

**Why? We do physical activity. Do you not remember last night? Or the night before?**

“Sex is not working out,” he mutters as he ties his shoes. “Especially not when you pin me down and don’t let me move. And I don’t think chasing bad guys counts for _me_ when _you’re_ the one doing the work.”

 **Fine,** Venom says huffily. **If you’re going to be a little bitch about it, then next time I will let _you_ chase the bad guys.**

Eddie snorts, and Karamo looks over at him. “What?”

“Nothing,” he says, grinning a little, and Karamo grins back. “I’m just having a good time.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” Karamo puts a hand on his back. “Sometimes you get knocked down, Eddie. But you have to get yourself back up, and still have faith that you’re going to win the next fight.”

 **We didn’t lose the _last_ fight, **Venom says, still a little testy, and Eddie bites his cheek to keep from laughing.

“Thanks,” he says. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

***

“Alright,” Antoni says. “I know you like tater tots, but I promise you there are other foods outside of frozen potatoes and takeout.”

Eddie snickers. “I know that,” he says. “I promise. You guys came at a bad time.”

Antoni smiles. “What other thing do you like to eat?”

**Brains. Criminals. Chocolate.**

Eddie shrugs. “Anything, really. I’m not picky. I just don’t cook much.”

“Come on,” Antoni says, nudging him good-naturedly. “You are a grown man, Eddie. You can cook your own food. Takeout is great, but it gets expensive, and a lot of this you can easily make at home.”

He takes Eddie to a farmers market. Eddie’s been once or twice with Anne, but he was really there to just hold bags and pay for things. Now he’s picking out avocados, and artisan cheese, and he’s actually having fun with it. Antoni is a little more quiet, a little reserved than the others, and Eddie likes him a lot for that.

“Okay,” Antoni says as they get back to Anne’s apartment. He’s staying there while they remodel his. “Are you ready? We’re gonna make the fanciest grilled cheese Caprese you’ve ever seen in your life.”

**Grilled cheese?**

Eddie follows the instructions, slicing tomatoes and mozzarella and mixing up homemade pesto. He hasn’t cooked in a _long_ time, but his hands remember what to do, and he enjoys the simple actions.

“This is easy,” Antoni says. “Good, simple comfort food. You can make a couple of these from what you bought today, and these ingredients can be used for other things as well.”

Venom watches through his eyes. **This looks amazing. Why have you never made this before?**

“I didn’t know I could,” Eddie says.

“Could what?”

Eddie realizes he answered Venom out loud, and his face flushes red. “Could do this,” he says, gesturing to the spread in front of them. “I haven’t cooked in a long time.”

“Cooking for one person is hard,” Antoni agrees. “But it’s still worth making an effort to try. Doing this can be a great way to reconnect with yourself at the end of a long day. It’s a moment where you’re able to sit down, and take a moment, and just kind of breathe.” He flips the grilled cheese with a flourish. “And also eat some good food.”

**It smells delicious. We should eat this right now. Right now.**

“Looks awesome,” Eddie agrees. “Yeah. I think I can do this.”

The sandwich _is_ good, probably the best thing he’s eaten in ages. Venom is thrilled with the flavors, and Eddie has to promise to make him one later just to get him to shut up.

Anne comes in while they’re eating, and she smiles at them. “Having fun?”

“Definitely,” Eddie says, and he takes another bite.

***

“So,” Jonathan says. “I’m a fan of the whole scruffy, just-woke-up look you’ve got going on here. I really am. But I don’t think it accentuates your face very much. You have fabulous structure, and I just really want to highlight that.” They flourish a pair of scissors and smile at Eddie. “So what we’re gonna do is we’re just gonna trim this down a bit—“ they run their hand through Eddie’s hair “—and then we’re gonna get at that beard, and kind of pare you down into a more of a tough and rugged kind of look. Sound okay?”

“You’re the boss,” Eddie says, and for once, he doesn’t feel any trepidation. He doesn’t even flinch as Jonathan tips his head back and gets to work.

It doesn’t take long, and eventually Jonathan is pulling the cape off. “Ta-da!” they announce, and Eddie stares at himself.

The scruffy look from before is gone. He still has a hint of stubble, but it’s groomed now, rather than just being a wild five-o-clock shadow. His hair is a little shorter, but it’s styled nicely, and there’s definition to the edges of it. He looks…

 **You look hot,** Venom tells him, and Eddie nearly starts laughing at the word. **I mean it. I want to take you home right now. Can we go?**

“Well done,” he says, offering a hand to Jonathan as they smile. “I love it.”

Jonathan claps and starts showing him moisturizers, walking him step-by-step through a skin care routine. Eddie listens and nods in all the right places, and takes the boxes they hand him. “Taking care of your skin is key as you get older. These are all easy things, they’ll take you like, five minutes max, and you’ll feel so much better for it.”

Eddie nods. “I haven’t been real good at that recently,” he says. “When it’s just me around it seems a little less important.”

“Self-care is important,” Jonathan tells him. “It’s not unmanly to take care of your skin and your hair like this. How you see yourself is how the world sees you. Self-care isn’t vanity, it’s an important part of a relationship with yourself.”

 **I’m there too,** Venom says, but it doesn’t have the usual petulant tone to it. It’s more of a reassurance.

“ _Thank_ you,” Eddie says, to both of them, and this time he’s the one who offers a hug.

***

“Are you ready for this?” Jonathan asks. “You look gorgeous, honey. They’re going to love you.”

“I’m ready,” Eddie says. “I’m looking forward to seeing the apartment.”

“Oh, you are going to _love_ it.”

They open the door. The others immediately jump up, and there’s screaming, and shouting, and hands on him. Eddie smiles and returns their hugs and accepts their compliments.

Then he looks around his apartment. “Holy shit.”

Bobby grins. “What do you think?”

“Uh…” He spins, taking it all in. “Holy _shit_ , that’s what I think.”

It’s incredible. The holes in the wall are patched, and the window is fixed. The couch is the one from IKEA, with actual stuffing in it, and there’s a solid coffee table in front of it. The kitchen is redesigned with new countertops, and there’s a shelf above the sink with little plants. The cabinets are painted. The appliances are clean.

“This is amazing,” he says, spinning slowly. “Bobby, I…are we sure this is _my_ apartment?”

 **Sit on the couch,** Venom tells him, so he sprawls on it while the others laugh in delight. **Yes. This is very comfortable. We will be out here tonight.**

Eddie grins and gets up. Bobby shows him the rest of the apartment, describing the color contrasts, and how the space is lifted, and how he opened up the kitchen to give Eddie some more space. “Let’s look at your room!”

They all troop into Eddie’s room. There’s a new bed in here, and the walls are a lighter color, and there’s more lighting. It feels a lot more open and welcoming. “This is awesome,” Eddie says, slowly taking it all in. “Seriously, you’re a genius. I love this. I had no idea you could do this to a place.”

 **Actually,** Venom says, turning their head towards the bed, **maybe we will be in here tonight.**

 _Could do both,_ Eddie thinks, and Venom hums with happiness.

Jonathan grabs his hand. “This is the bathroom,” they say, dragging Eddie in. “It’s all set up for you so you can easily do your thing in the morning. Wake up, shower, moisturize, fluff the hair up a little, and boom.” They toss their own hair, and Eddie laughs. “Gorgeous. Easy, quick, and something you can do every day.”

“Self-care,” Eddie says, and Jonathan beams at him. “Okay. I can do that.”

“Yes you can, queen.”

The rest of them file out to the living room, and Tan pulls Eddie over to the closet. “Simple setup,” he says. “Shirts here, pants here, shoes there. Underwear and other things in the drawers. All of these clothes can be mixed and matched together like we talked about, so you don’t have to think too hard about getting dressed. Shirt, jeans, jacket.” He gestures at the closet. “Make me proud.”

Eddie looks at the clothes. _Got any opinions?_

 **Grey shirt,** Venom says immediately. **With the jacket. And the jeans.**

Eddie obeys, grabbing them. He gets dressed in the bathroom, and Tan applauds when he comes back out. “Yes! You look amazing.”

He adjusts the jacket, and fixes the shirt collar. “Are you guys ready?” he yells out to the others, and they all clap and cheer as Eddie walks out.

Eddie’s not used to receiving compliments—Venom calls him delicious, but he’s not sure that counts—and the amount of attention on him makes his ears pink. But he actually kind of likes it, and they’re so sincere and honest that it doesn’t make him uncomfortable at all. He feels more confident with every outfit he models for them, and by the end of it, he even takes a little bow. “That’s the show,” he says, and they all burst out laughing.

“So,” Karamo says, as he sits on the couch next to them. “What do you think?”

“It’s incredible,” he says. “You guys are incredible. I feel…” He trails off for a moment, then soldiers on. “I feel way more confident in myself right now, you know? Like Anne always tells me I’m a good guy, but it’s hard to see that myself sometimes. Especially after what’s happened, with losing my job and her. I was in a dark place for awhile there.”

He was. It’s not a lie. Venom had helped to pull him out of it, once they’d found their rhythm, but he’d been right about Eddie being in a tailspin. Now, for the first time in a long while, he feels like there’s solid ground under his feet.

Jonathan pulls him into a hug. “You are gorgeous, honey,” they say. “Inside and out. You _are_ a good guy.”

“You have to find your inner voice,” Karamo says, and Eddie bites his tongue hard. “That little part of you that says _I love Eddie, and I’m proud to be this guy.”_

Eddie’s inner voice turns under his chest and laughs. **I do love Eddie. I love Eddie a lot.**

“It’s there,” Karamo continues. “I’ve been seeing glimpses of it this week. We all have. You have to let that guy out more. You’re a funny, smart, intelligent guy. Let that shine.”

The rest of them make noises of agreement, and Eddie finds himself smiling at them. “I’ll do my best,” he says. “I, uh, I gotta say. This week has been an experience. But spending time with you has been a lot of fun, and I’ve really learned a lot. Not just about myself, either. I want to thank all of you for taking the time to work with me. It’s been different. I’m really happy you came.”

The guys flock around in their usual flamingo style, and Eddie finds that he doesn’t mind so much when he ends up at the center of their group hug. Then there’s a ridiculous amount of goodbyes, and more nice words and phrases, and then he’s left standing in his apartment all over again, blinking in disbelief as the guys depart.

Except this time there’s a camera crew left behind to film him, so he at least knows it really happened.

“Okay,” he says, looking at them. “Uh. I’m gonna go shower…”

“We don’t film that part,” one of the producers says, smiling at him. “But when you’re decent, open the door so we can get the rest of the routine.”

“Sure.” Eddie grabs a towel and goes into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Then he starts the water and strips off his clothes.

Venom immediately emerges. **Eddie.**

“Hey, bud.”

**You feel different.**

“I’m happy.”

 **But it feels different.** Venom tilts his head. **Were you not happy, before? With me?**

“Of course I was,” Eddie says immediately. “I am happy, V. I love you. But there’s different types of happiness, you know? I can be happy with the situation and not happy with myself as a person.”

**And now you’re happy as a person?**

“I feel better about it, anyway.” He looks in the mirror and studies himself. “I certainly look better.”

 **You look great.** Venom licks his cheek. **If we had time…**

Eddie laughs and pushes his head away. “Keep your tentacles to yourself, you horny little parasite. We do _not_ have time.”

Venom bites his shoulder. **No name calling.**

“Sorry.” He kisses Venom’s head. “Come on. We gotta shower.”

 **I’m glad you’re happy,** Venom says after a moment. **You’re a good person. You deserve to be happy.**

“Thanks, love.” Eddie scrubs his hair.

**I wish other people could see what I see in you.**

“It’s easy with you,” Eddie says. “You know what I’m thinking and feeling. Other people don’t have that luxury.” He rinses his hair. “Hence the whole point of this week. We’re gonna show them.”

He gets out of the shower and dresses, then opens the door. It’s a little weird to be filmed while he’s getting ready, but he rolls with it. He follows each step of the grooming process exactly as Jonathan told him to, with Venom providing instructions where his memory fuzzes. When he’s done, he looks in the mirror and nods. “That’ll do.”

 **You look good,** Venom tells him, and there’s a sense of contentment emanating from him. **You feel better too.**

He does feel better. For the first time in a long time, he feels like Eddie Brock again. Not broken or crazy. He feels confident, like he’s got himself together a little bit. It’s nice.

 **You should wear this tonight,** Venom tells him.

 _I am wearing it tonight._ Eddie smiles at the film guy and walks past him to the living room.

**No, after. Keep it on for our date.**

_I don’t think chasing criminals counts as a date?_

**Of course it does. It’s our quality time together.**

_You’re in my head, Venom. Every second of the day is quality time together._

**Yes, but this one you’re dressed up for.**

Eddie laughs a little, and grabs his keys. “I’m gonna go,” he says to the film crew. “Everybody out.” He locks up the apartment and gets onto his bike, pulling his helmet on. He doesn’t usually wear it, but he’s keeping up appearances.

He drives to the office and turns the bike off, then looks at the front door. “Okay,” he says, more to himself than Venom. “You can do this.”

He _has_ been nervous for this, he realizes. Very nervous. He’d forgotten about it during the week, with all the excitement and the things going on. But now the anxiety is back, and Eddie can feel his hands itching to move. He quells the feeling and takes a deep breath. _Confidence. Confidence. You earned this. You deserve to be here._

 **I am here too. You’re not doing this alone.** Venom wraps around his wrist under the shirt, and squeezes. **You are a good reporter, Eddie, and you _do_ deserve to be here. You should be proud of the work you’re doing. I am.**

Pep talks from an alien. Eddie laughs and pockets his keys, and suddenly he does feel a little bit better. “Thanks,” he mutters, and he opens the door.

The party goes well. Really well, actually. Eddie shakes hands, and makes conversation, and talks to more people than he probably has in the past year. He gets his award and makes a speech, and he doesn’t stumble over any words. It’s nice. He feels like a mix of his old self and a new self—a little more confident, a little less blustery.

Anne comes up to him at the end of the night. “You look amazing,” she says. “I love it. You did so well up there.”

“Thanks,” he says, hugging her. Surprisingly, he doesn’t feel any of the old feelings rushing back. She doesn’t make him feel small, or sad, or worthless. There’s just a quiet sense of peace in him, accompanied by the pleased hum of Venom as he realizes this too.

The party disperses, and Eddie makes his goodbyes. He goes back out to his bike and sits on it, turning the plaque over in his hands. “That was okay,” he says to Venom.

**You did well. You should be proud.**

“I am proud,” he says, and doesn’t feel like an imposter for saying it. He grins and sticks the plaque under the seat with the helmet. “So.”

**So?**

“You’re the one who wanted a date,” Eddie says, kicking the bike on. “Where would you like to go?”

Venom hums in excitement and forms over his hand, squeezing his fingers. **What about that gang on Fifth and Twenty? They were delicious the other night, and we didn’t get to finish.**

“Gourmet gang it is,” Eddie says, twisting the bike into gear. “Let’s go get some dinner.”

**And then home so I can pin you down and take these nice clothes off you.**

“Not if I pin you down first,” Eddie says, twisting to kiss Venom’s head, and Venom laughs with delight.

 **I _like_ confident Eddie, **he says, snuggling under his chin. **It’s a date, you loser. Let’s go.**

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [tumblr!](https://feedmecookiesnow.tumblr.com/)


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